HP12c Gold Vs. HP 12c Platinum

Your thoughts?

platinum is rarer than gold, so it has to be better

The platinum can do the annuity calculations a few seconds faster. (< 15) There are sufficiently few problems on the exam that require this that it is unlikely to affect your chances of passing in any noticeable way. Other than that, there’s really no reason to spend more on the platinum, unless you like the look.

Or if you can expense it.

It also has a backspace key if I am not mistaken…that helps when you mess up on a number.

Just go with whatever matches your grill.

Instead of buying one HP 12C for $70, but two TI BA II PLUS for $30 each. Then, take both to the exam. You’ll have one less thing to worry about on the big day. Plus, you’ll have $10 in your pocket.

Actually you should get the BA II Plus Professional! It’s about $40, so it’s 10 more than the regular BA II Plus but it’s so worth with because it’s silver and comes with a leather case!

Let’s not forget how superior RPN input is to algebraic. I don’t think I could ever go back to standard input. Everytime I try I mess it up. Plus I hate having to write down the intermediate answers to a long problem.

I’d never go back to algebraic either. My only wish is that id did Covariance but I’m not too worried about that come exam day.

Black Swan Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Just go with whatever matches your grill. hahahaha

Zesty Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Actually you should get the BA II Plus > Professional! It’s about $40, so it’s 10 more than > the regular BA II Plus but it’s so worth with > because it’s silver and comes with a leather case! I think you mean pleather

PalacioHill Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Let’s not forget how superior RPN input is to > algebraic. I don’t think I could ever go back to > standard input. Everytime I try I mess it up. > Plus I hate having to write down the intermediate > answers to a long problem. Standard input is very frustrating after 15+ years using RPN.

If it weren’t for excel, I might not be able to do more than 4-function arithmetic on a standard calculator anymore. RPN really is awesome.

RPN is the way to go. I can’t even use a regular calculator either anymore - I always end up f’ing it up. I rarely see test takers though with the 12c. In Chicago last year the proctor for the area i was in had to ask another if my calculator was allowed - it was the first one they had seen.

its funny how i can’t use a regular calculator anymore after using RPN

Is RPN a generational thing? I don’t think I know anyone under 35 that uses it. How/when were you guys introduced to it? I’m just curious because there seems to be a lot of followers and yet I’ve never come across it.

I remember in the old days when I first came across an RPN calculater and I was told that it used reverse Polish notation. I though that was a joke - an ethnic slur on its backwards approach to data entry. It wasn’t until at least a decade later that I discovered that it really is what RPN stands for.

FreeRider Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Is RPN a generational thing? I don’t think I know > anyone under 35 that uses it. How/when were you > guys introduced to it? I’m just curious because > there seems to be a lot of followers and yet I’ve > never come across it. I was introduced to the 12C at my first job out of school in 1992. Haven’t been able to use a standard calculator since. I actually found a 12C at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon when I was in high school and threw it away because I couldn’t figure out how to use it (you couldn’t just download the manual from the internet then). They probably still cost over $100 back then and I had no clue.

FreeRider Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Is RPN a generational thing? I don’t think I know > anyone under 35 that uses it. How/when were you > guys introduced to it? I’m just curious because > there seems to be a lot of followers and yet I’ve > never come across it. Back in the olden days (like, 20 years ago) I think people used calculators on a daily basis, so by learning RPN you could shave a few moments off of your day. These days, there isn’t much use for any calculator – RPN or otherwise – outside of exams.